The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-01-12

Letters.
(From the Philadelphia Times)
1t is made known through the Pinker-
ton detectives that they have captured
and fastened the evidence upon five men,
who were concerned in the robbery of
the dams Express car on the st. Louis
and San Francisco Railroad,on the night
OF October %, thirty-siX miles from st.
Louis. The most important clue was
ubtainable through the 'Jim Cum
mings' letters to Il st. Louis paper which
were written by Fred Witrock, who,
with q man named Weaver, both engaged
in business in Chicago, were the princi-
pals i'll the affair. A portion of the
5000 OO stolen was recovered from the
five men, from Witrock's wife and from
an innocent stranger, who had i'll good
faith undertaken to hold $500 for
Witrock. The detectives refuse to say
whether Express Messenger Erothing-
ham was concerned III the crime.
uow IT WAS DONE.
Tonight the Pinkcrton detective
officials revealed the facts of the arrest
of five men for the robbery of the
Adams Express car of $50, 600 on the st.
Louis and San Francisco Railroad on the
night of October 25. Tie men under
arrest are Frederick Witrock, who is the
author of the Jim Cummings letters,
and is claimed to be the man who per
retrate1 the robbery; w; w. Haight, an
cx-employec of Express Company, who
&c c,,,r,ncnl 10 hnya ailol in ,,lonpi,n
the robbery from his knowledge Of the
railroad 'run;" Thomas Weaver, Il
Chicago luundryman, who was with
Witrock before and after the robbery;
Edward Kinney, II brothcr-in-law OF
Witrock upon whose body was found II
considerable portion Of the express
money, and Oscar Cook, who hid Wit
rock after the robbery, and divided the
money and mailed the Jim Cummings"
letters. The detectives have turned up
about Slj, 1000 and estimate that from
$4,000 to $500 is still unaccountcd for.
The detectives hit ON no clue to the
robbers until the Jim Cummings let
ter WAS addressed to the ST. Louis Globe
Democrat, and upon this they detected
the criminals. First they started to find
all the people who had left the service
of til" Express Company during the
year and found W. w. ilaight, who had
been discharged for theft and who had
been Il messenger between St. Louis and
Einita, Indian Territory, the same run
npon which was amploycd rockingham,
the messenger i'll charge of the plumber
ed Car. iiaight worked i'll Chicago for
Nitrock, who kept II coal yard, hut left
the city OH October u, saying that he
was going to floliua. He had bcGn very
poor, but suddenly exhibited plenty OF
money.
The next stop was the discovery that
Witrock and Weaver left this city on
October l., well armed and equipped
for hunting, which they said was their
object III Arkansas, whittier they were
going. Weaver returned to Chicago
October -, and after the robbery oc-
Cured the Cummings letter to the Globe
Democrat was received and stated that
he had gone to Il point ON the Missouri
river, opposite Labadic and iloutcd
down i'll Il skin. At St. Charles the de-
t~cctivcs found that the two men answer
ing the description of Witrock and
Weaver had bought a skiif on October
il, but had gone up the river.
USING rHE MICROSCOPE.
From this point the search reverted to
the bundle which ''Jim Cummings said
IN his letter he had left at the Union
Depot, St. Louis, and in it were discov-
cred some printed ballads, on one of
which WAS the address 2lOS Chestnut
street, but 50 faint as to be only dis
ccrniblc under the microscope. This
wa IL boarding house in st. Louis kept
by Mrs. Berry, who remembered that
men resembling Witrock and Weaver
had come to her house on October Is,
and Weave. left on October D., saying
lie was going to Kansas City, Witrock
ostcnBibly following him on the evening
OF October %.
In the rooms the two men had occu-
pied were found two stamps correspond
ing to the labels on two ~valises shipped
to st. Louis from ST. Charles, which
proved to be the baggage of the men
who had procured the skill mt ST..
Charles. Then Il watch was set over
Witrock and Wcavcr's places in Chicago,
and live weeks ago n daughter and son
of Mrs. Berry came TO Chicago identified
Weaver rs one of the men who had
rOomed at their house. Oscar Cook, II
close friend Of WitrOck, was found to
have gone to Kansas City, where he
lived at the house of n woman named
Cox, but frequently lett the city. his alb
scnce being invariably followed by the
appearance of one of the ''Jim Cum
mings' letters. A detective imgra,iated
himself with Cook and accompanied him
to gambling houses in the gnisc of a
friend, Cook always having plenty of
money. The lookout for Witrock was
kept up in Chicago without avail until
last Tuesday night, when another
SHADOW whom the detectives did not
know, and a large mar looking like
Witrock entered Witrock's residence,
No. 10 Lincoln street. Kinney was run
ming the coal yard for him, and having
gone to Quincy a detective managed to
see there II telegram to Kinney announc-
ing the return Of Witrock to Chicago,
and signed by the %Iatter's wife, Rose.
FINDING MAN y MONEY.
When Kinney returned to Chicago he